Mr GUNNER - 2016-03-17
According to your crime statistics from when your government was elected to now, crime against the person, property crime and total crime in the Territory has increased. Since your government was elected you have scrapped the Banned Drinker Register, broken your promise of 120 extra police and have definitely broken your promise to cut crime by 10% a year every year.
When will you acknowledge that you have failed Territorians and not listened to the police? When will you accept their verdict that you have failed on crime, bring back the BDR and properly resource police?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is interesting that the Leader of the Opposition talks about crime when the crime stats have just been released. I am happy to go through different crime stats released today. Yesterday’s crime stats were the latest, but today more crime stats have been released.
Members opposite would remember this government decided to publish crime stats on a monthly basis on a public website. We did not want to hide them. They go up and down, and we are open and honest about that.
I will quickly go through a range of Territory-wide stats, and I am sure in subsequent questions on crime I can go through them region by region. Today, comparing the year 2016 with the year 2015 – January to January – total offences are down by 5%, total offences against the person are down by 3%, assault offences are down by 4%, sexual assault offences are down by 6%, total property offences are down by 5%, house break-ins are down by 7%, commercial break-ins are down by 6% …
Ms Fyles: Property damage is up.
Mr GILES: … motor vehicle theft is down by 14%, theft and related offences other than a motor vehicle theft are down by 4% and property damage offences are down by 3%.
The member for Nightcliff shouted something about property damage. In the Darwin area property damage offences are down by 7% and in Palmerston by 5%. Those figures have just been released today, member for Nightcliff. You come in here, huffing and puffing.
One of the important elements of crime in our community is that nobody likes it or antisocial behaviour. We need to make sure we continue to provide more resources to police. Our government decided to put an additional 120 police on the beat. We put 20 on the beat in Alice Springs almost immediately after coming to government. We continue to have new recruitment squads. I cannot remember the name of the current squad, but 34 recruits are in training and will graduate in May this year, which will further add to the complement of police on our streets.
You talked about our commitment to drive crime down by 10%. It is a bold commitment. The results have shown that crime levels continue to come down. The important point is we started government with 120 fewer police officers. You did not fund them and we did. We said we would start by achieving 10% less crime, and we have been reducing it. It is not zero – there is still crime and antisocial behaviour in our community – but we are making inroads. That is because we provide more resources to the police of the Northern Territory.
When will you acknowledge that you have failed Territorians and not listened to the police? When will you accept their verdict that you have failed on crime, bring back the BDR and properly resource police?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, it is interesting that the Leader of the Opposition talks about crime when the crime stats have just been released. I am happy to go through different crime stats released today. Yesterday’s crime stats were the latest, but today more crime stats have been released.
Members opposite would remember this government decided to publish crime stats on a monthly basis on a public website. We did not want to hide them. They go up and down, and we are open and honest about that.
I will quickly go through a range of Territory-wide stats, and I am sure in subsequent questions on crime I can go through them region by region. Today, comparing the year 2016 with the year 2015 – January to January – total offences are down by 5%, total offences against the person are down by 3%, assault offences are down by 4%, sexual assault offences are down by 6%, total property offences are down by 5%, house break-ins are down by 7%, commercial break-ins are down by 6% …
Ms Fyles: Property damage is up.
Mr GILES: … motor vehicle theft is down by 14%, theft and related offences other than a motor vehicle theft are down by 4% and property damage offences are down by 3%.
The member for Nightcliff shouted something about property damage. In the Darwin area property damage offences are down by 7% and in Palmerston by 5%. Those figures have just been released today, member for Nightcliff. You come in here, huffing and puffing.
One of the important elements of crime in our community is that nobody likes it or antisocial behaviour. We need to make sure we continue to provide more resources to police. Our government decided to put an additional 120 police on the beat. We put 20 on the beat in Alice Springs almost immediately after coming to government. We continue to have new recruitment squads. I cannot remember the name of the current squad, but 34 recruits are in training and will graduate in May this year, which will further add to the complement of police on our streets.
You talked about our commitment to drive crime down by 10%. It is a bold commitment. The results have shown that crime levels continue to come down. The important point is we started government with 120 fewer police officers. You did not fund them and we did. We said we would start by achieving 10% less crime, and we have been reducing it. It is not zero – there is still crime and antisocial behaviour in our community – but we are making inroads. That is because we provide more resources to the police of the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016